Speed run of Ninja Gaiden, done on February 18 2007. Available in five versions: low/normal quality DivX, and normal/high/low quality H.264 MPEG-4.

Author's comments:
This is another game that I decided to run just because no else would (or, at least, I couldn't guilt anyone else to send their run in). Prior to beginning this speed run, I had never gotten past 3-2 (the snow level). Once I finally made it to level 6, I didn't see how it was technically possible to pass 6-2. Once I finally made it to the second-to-last boss, I didn't beat the game for over a week, and I played at least a couple times a day. It's clear that this game was created when video games were played to be beaten and not for fun, because this game is not fun.

I wasn't particularly fond of this game when I started running it, and I'm even less fond of it now. It's a pretty cool game with cool music, and you get to be a ninja in a cute purple outfit, but the mechanics and layout of the game are so unfair that it really just makes it unfun to play. There are certain parts of levels where if you literally don't know exactly when to jump and swing your sword, you will die (5-3, 6-2). And don't even get me started on those birds. Easily the most frustrating enemy in any game ever. And they're also the most deadly enemy in this game, as they take off the same amount of damage as the final boss(es). The respawning nature of all the enemies in this game baffles me, as I can't imagine how a game programmer would think it's a good idea to make an enemy respawn every time you move a pixel offscreen. Sometimes you don't even have to move.

Anyway, this run is pretty good. If I actually enjoyed playing this game, I would've kept hammering away until I got something below 13:30, but I hate this game with enough fervor that I couldn't make myself play it any longer. I think this game lends itself very well to speed run watching, even though it's a nightmare to actually make the run. For that, you're welcome. I made a few mistakes here and there, but nothing too serious or evident. The worst part of the run was the last two bosses, particularly the second to last one. Fighting him is definitely the hardest part of the game, and I didn't thrash him quite as soundly as I have in the past, but this run ended up being faster than all my other ones anyway, so I kept it.

The one technique in this run that wasn't pure memorization and timing is the "down+slash" technique. It's hard to explain, but you can only attack twice while you're in the air normally. But by pressing down, attacking, and then releasing down, you can attack more times while in the air, depending on how fast you can press buttons. I could usually attack about four times per jump using this technique. It's a bit hard to pull off consistently, and that's why I kind of struggled on the very last boss.

Thanks to rdrunner, who gave me some advice, answered some questions, and also wrote out his times for each level for me; they were very helpful. Also thanks to Scumtron for his tool-assisted run, from which I gleaned most of the damage boosts from. And thanks to sdkess for his low-damage run, which showed me that level 6-2 was actually possible to beat.

Do yourself a favor: watch this run, and never play this game again; I've played it enough for all of us.

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